ENFP personality types are some of the most fun people to be around since they seem to have boundless energy and a lust for life. So, what could possibly stress out an ENFP?
ENFPs get stressed when forced to follow the rules and abide by regulations that curtail their enthusiasm, creativity, and lust for adventure. ENFPs will experience frustration if their ideas are dismissed and their goals are impeded. Pessimism also brings them down.
So, what are the things an ENFP will be triggered by? Let’s look at what makes the ENFP so unique.
What Is an ENFP?
ENFP personalities are also called the ‘Champion’ or the ‘Campaigner’ because they desire and drive for new ideas, meet new people, and pursue new activities. According to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the ENFP is Extraverted, Intuitive, Feeling, and Prospecting, a person who seeks out big ideas.
These personality types are vibrant and energetic, often known as ‘free spirits’ because they’re openhearted and open-minded. They generally see the best in others and have a positive, natural approach to life. They are often the life of the party and want to have a good time.
In terms of relationships and dealing with other people, the ENGP looks for meaningful connections with other people, and since they are intuitive and sensitive, they are also deeply emotional.
They love to take chances and risks and don’t do well in rigid environments where the rules must always be followed. They may find it challenging to be in a scenario where they can’t make decisions based on their gut instinct or try something new.
Do ENFPs Get Annoyed Easily?
It’s hard to imagine an ENFP annoyed since they are always joyful and exuberant, but believe it or not, some things will rile up an ENFP and can seriously upset them. Here are some things that will irritate an ENFP:
- Mistaken intentions: Since they are extraverted and sociable, the ENFP loves getting to know people, chatting, and being friendly. Not everyone reads their interactions like this, however, and they will get easily annoyed if their intentions are mislabeled (whether as flirting or disingenuous).
- Belittle or humiliate them: Their creative flair and inspiring dreams are generally captivating, but they are also considered ‘dreamers’ to a large degree, believing in the impossible and wanting to try new challenges that others may find risky. If someone looks down on, questions, or dismisses these ideas, the ENFP will not just be hurt but may be very annoyed.
- Scrutiny and micromanaging: The ENFP is independent and autonomous, not needing anyone to tell them what they need to do or should be doing, but since they can sometimes struggle with rules or routine, their managers at work may want to step in, and put firmer boundaries in place.
The ENFP doesn’t respond well to micromanaging, however, so a balance is needed to ensure they are managed without making them feel like they are being scrutinized every step of the way.
- Moodiness: Their optimism and joyful nature are often contagious, and since they love seeing the positive in all scenarios, being around people constantly down in the dumps or moping will inevitably annoy an ENFP. They choose to be around uplifting people, and those who whinge and whine are not likely to get a repeat invitation from an ENFP.
Do ENFPs Get Stressed Easily?
One of the ENFP’s weaknesses is that they feel the need to get approval from others and can be pretty emotional. Tied in with the fact that they struggle to follow the rules all the time, the ENFPs can often feel stressed if they find themselves in an environment that requires this.
Since they are ‘free spirits,’ ENFPs don’t respond well to structure and deadlines that can’t be somewhat flexible, so they tend to feel pressure when that is expected of them. Additionally, many of the decisions ENFPs make are based on how they feel, their instincts, or the fact that it is a new and untrodden path – in times when they can’t follow their heart, they will likely experience deep stress.
Additionally, since they often overthink, the ENFP personality will feel stressed in scenarios where there is tension between others or conflict is imminent. This will likely cause them to freeze or feel even more stuck in making a decision, which delays things even more. Their lack of decisiveness can be pretty problematic.
What Do ENFPs Hate?
ENFPs are vibrant and much-beloved for their intoxicating enthusiasm, so it’s hard to imagine them passionately hating anything – but here are ten things the ENFP can’t stand:
- Isolation and being alone
- Losing someone that means a great deal to them
- Meaningless or pointless interactions
- Feeling rejected or abandoned
- Missing out on something exciting
- Being told to stick to rules and not step outside of the lines
- Having their ideas dismissed as childish
10 Things That Frustrate Or Stress ENFPs
With a broader perspective of what makes the ENFP personality so unique, we can compile an easy guide to ten things that cause stress or frustrate an ENFP:
1. Too many rules, too much structure
The ENFP personality is vibrant full of energy and spontaneity. When they are trapped in an environment that is governed by rules and requires the same routine every day, they will not just get frustrated, but boredom will kick in.
2. Their challenges are refused
Because they are fond of new things and thrive in environments that allow them to expand on their new ideas, they can become bored if they aren’t allowed to take on new challenges. This means the ENFP will often also issue challenges to those around them – if people look down on these or label them silly, the ENFP will be highly frustrated.
3. Negativity and pessimism
ENFPs are intense optimists who always see the fun in life, the good in others, and the potential beauty in everyday life. Being surrounded by people who only see negatives or feel down all the time will undoubtedly bring the ENFP down, too.
This frustration with pessimists can often lead to the ENFP avoiding people who tend to have a negative outlook on life. They prefer to be around people who mirror their enthusiasm for life.
4. Stagnation
Since ENFPs are motivated by chasing new dreams, finding new adventures, and pursuing new paths, they will become easily frustrated if they experience stagnation in any area of their lives. The ENFP will likely become bored if their career stagnates with few options for new challenges, growth, or branching out into something new.
It’s not unusual for an ENFP to change jobs, seek out new hobbies, and make new friends in their search for excitement. Whether stagnation occurs in their careers or amongst their friendships, the ENFP will become frustrated if things aren’t constantly growing, changing, or evolving. The same applies to romantic relationships – without a bigger picture or dream to work towards, ENFPs will feel stuck.
5. Critique and judgement
‘Happy-go-lucky’ is a term often used to describe the ENFPs since they are so easy-going, fun-loving, and filled with happiness. And since they are eternal optimists, they take negative talk, judgment, or criticism particularly harshly. They expect others to act as they do – with uplifting words, positivity, and encouragement.
They are also highly open-minded, which means they can see things from other perspectives. But if the other perspective seeks to hurt, humiliate, or embarrass someone, they will experience stress and may even intervene to protect the other person.
6. Mundane and routine tasks
Much has been said about the ENFPs striving for adventure and excitement, so it’s understandable that they will become frustrated if their life becomes an endless repetition of the same tasks. But the same can be said for daily activities. The ENFP values meaningful movement towards a goal – doing things that seem to be pointless is hugely frustrating for them.
Sitting in traffic, for example, will likely be very frustrating for the ENFP. They prefer to be involved in activities that add value and meaning or contributes to the greater good.
7. Goal impediments
ENFPs always have something they want to do, a place they want to go to, a country they want to visit, or a new skill they want to learn. Their list of things to do is often crammed full of new projects and tasks, and not all of these always get done.
But when something gets in the way of their ability to reach their goals, they will likely experience frustration. If they cannot proceed toward their goals and dreams because of a skill they lack, it can also affect their self-confidence to the point that they give up on the idea entirely.
8. Conflict
Like many intuitive personality types, ENFPs don’t do well in conflict situations. They are far too joyful and filled with positivity to deal well with the negativity that comes from tension and conflict between people. Additionally, ENFPs are independent and don’t appreciate being told what to do or having someone interfere with them – this will cause them stress.
Conflict can arise with ENFPs and people who don’t appreciate their new and creative ideas; if those around them dismiss their thoughts and opinions, the ENFP will become frustrated. Interpersonal conflict has the same effect on an ENFP who wants things to always run smoothly without problems between them and the people they love.
9. Not having answers
In their never-ending quest to know everything, the ENFP can sometimes get stuck in a trap of not having an answer for something simply because they’re trying too many alternatives. This can lead to them questioning their capabilities and getting caught up in a cycle of overthinking.
There’s very little positive about overthinking as it triggers a stress response brought on by having too much to consider; it also prompts you to question whether it’s even worth trying to come up with an answer, and not having answers is something the ENFP despises.
10. Lack of freedom
We already know that ENFPs don’t like routine, but it’s also about not being scrutinized or micromanaged for the ENFP. Whether at work or in relationships, the ENFP wants to exercise their autonomy and independence, and having to be curtailed constantly will stress them out.
The ENFP doesn’t do well in spaces that stifle their creativity and enthusiasm, so the same applies here when it comes to being in an environment that doesn’t take advantage of their free spirit. And locking them into rules, regulations, and expectations is a recipe for disaster.
